So, covers should be eye-catching, and consistent with a book’s promise and/or genre. That is, they should deliver “break-through” and “convey meaning.”  In my previous article, “Five ways to ‘SPARC’ Great Design,” I share these principles of book cover design: 

1. Simplicity breaks through, so don’t try to stuff everything onto the cover. Rather, focus! 
2. Prioritize your communications hierarchy.
3. Assess designs against the brief, not personal taste
4. Real-life: assess design in situ
5. Consistency, consistency, consistency

In case you missed that piece, here’s a link https://diymfa.com/community/book-cover-design.

Today, let’s take a look at some book cover trends from 2021. These covers are mainly sourced from “the best of 2021” lists, compiled by Kirkus, Goodreads, and other industry sources. The below designs illustrate trends, but can certainly be grouped in different ways. Note that this list isn’t meant to be exhaustive or used prescriptively.

With those caveats in mind, see if you’ve noticed any of these book cover trends:

1. Simple, yet Evocative

As digital book sales and ads continue to grow, there’s been a long-term trend towards simplicity to break through. This helps designs register at a glance or as a small thumbnail image. The below examples use bold, sans serif fonts with a color contrast that improve readability, especially in an online environment. At the same time, the imagery behind the bold titles are emotional or evocative. 

2. Jewel Tones

Another effect that can be seen layered with the bold fonts are jewel-toned colors. See how the rich patina of purple, blue, and magenta hues is paired with a high contrast font color to allow the titles to visually pop? These particular examples contain floral elements, which also played a big role in the cover of my novel, Goodbye, Orchid.

3. Abstract

In addition to the use of clean, bold fonts, another trend that can add distinctiveness is an abstract art background. This use of shapes and colors in unique combinations can create a one-of-a-kind look. At first glance, these designs may appear to be pure abstraction. However, as the cover draws you in, the reader starts to observe recognizable objects within the subtle images. For instance, notice the human eye shape in Detransition, Baby, and facial profiles in the Rorshach-like inkblot in The Push. These details add visual interest that can lead the reader to continue to study the design.

Geometric abstraction 

A sub-style of abstract designs are covers that use geometric, or hard-edged, shapes. Here are some examples:

4. Illustrated vs. Realistic vs. Graphical

When it comes to depicting people or objects on covers, there’s a decision point between illustrated, realistic or graphics images. Romance, in particular, has increasingly animated its characters (see Talia Hibbert, Emily Henry, Lucy Parker, and Farrah Rochon’s cover examples). 

Compare that generally lighter tone with the gravitas of the more realistic images from Namina Forma, Karin Tanabe and Fiona Davis’ books below.

Another treatment can be highly designed, ornate graphics. 

Review all the styles we’ve studied so far. What emotions do each evoke? How do they differ from one another? 

5. Special Topics: Monochrome, Retro

There are, of course, many more style routes that designers can choose. Let’s contemplate two final trends. First, a monochrome background with a contrasting color can be visually arresting. The below black-hued covers create an understated, somber tone. The generous use of negative (empty) space contributes to a feeling of gravitas. 

Monochrome can be another way to deliver the simplicity we discussed earlier. In these examples, the simple black and gold combination can effectively break-through in a sea of color:

One final special trend is the use of retro covers and fonts. These can be chosen deliberately to convey a certain feel to readers. For instance, Harlem Shuffle is set in the 1960’s, and The Final Revival of Opal & Nev takes place in the 1970’s, making the old-timey colors, fonts and images consistent with the stories’ setting. How do these make you feel versus the other types of covers?

I hope you’ve enjoyed this look through these book cover trends, spanning simple yet evocative, jewel tones, and abstract covers; the comparison of illustrated vs. realistic vs. graphical covers; and a peek into some special trends, including monochrome and retro covers.  

Remember, none of these book cover trends are “right” or “wrong.” Book cover assessment is more about the fit of the cover to convey the book’s promise to the reader, and as with all art, is highly subjective!

Tell us in the comments: What are your favorite book cover trends from 2021?

Carol Van Den Hende is the award-winning author of Goodbye, Orchid, a public speaker, and MBA with 20+ years’ experience in marketing, strategy and insights.. Carol is passionate about simplifying marketing concepts into actionable steps that authors need for publishing success. Please sign up for Carol’s newsletter at https://carolvandenhende.com/contact or linktr.ee/cvdh

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Comparable titles (also known as comps) can be extremely helpful when writing and pitching your book to a literary agent or editor. 

They are also a huge way to ensure your book is marketed in the right place on Amazon or in the bookstore—and better yet, they’re good practice to learn how to read with a purpose. 

Finding bad comps for your books is worse than no comps. 

To avoid this, I’d like to share five must-knows to picking your comps, as well as a better idea about what makes a comp and how to use it in a pitch.  

Why Comparable Titles Are Important (But Not Mandatory) 

When I worked as an editorial intern at P.S. Literary Agency, finding comps was an important task. Comps could help the agent I reported to decide if a book was worth representing. It could also strengthen a pitch for a client’s new book to an editor.

Comparable titles, or books/stories that have certain similarities to another story, can be extremely useful when convincing an editor or agent that a story is worth investing in. It hints at certain story preferences and tastes, and identifies with what has worked in the market before. 

Plus, it attracts an ideal readership! 

In the first months of my role, finding comps was a challenging task. 

While businesses like Amazon make the research easier (Amazon, in fact, first gained success because of their brilliant move to recommend additional books a customer would like after purchasing a title), there are certain details I needed to keep in mind in order to find a good comp. 

I mentioned above that finding bad comps is worse than no comps. And the agent I worked for told me multiple times that comps weren’t mandatory in a query letter, although when good ones came along, they helped. 

You see, there’s a trick to finding good comps—if you know what good means.

I’d like to clarify this with five must-knows covered in this post.  

Must-Knows When Picking Your Book’s Comparable Titles

There’s a lot of great places to look for comps for your manuscript. 

Libraries are the underdogs of all story archives, and I’m always a huge advocate for local bookstores, especially since booksellers really know their titles, and will have loads of recommendations when you describe what you’re looking for in a book.

Keep in mind, comparable titles aren’t exactly like the book you’re writing (if it was, then why are you writing a book that’s already been done?), but they are similar (and different). 

For instance, you might be looking to make a connection with your story that an agent mentions they like on their #MSWL (manuscript wish list). 

Take for example a story that could be described as smart fiction that involves a startup business in today’s society. A good comp for this might be Doree Shafrir’s Startup: A Novel. 

Or maybe you’re looking for a book that takes a hard look at Islamophobia in American for young adults. Samira Ahmed’s Love, Hate, and Other Filters would be a fantastic fit. 

How about nonfiction? Perhaps you want a comparable title that explores female entrepreneurs and the gender gap in business. I’d highly recommend Sophia Amoruso’s #Girlboss, which I suggested as a comp for Susanne Althoff’s amazing book Launching While Female.  

All of these examples are good picks for the scenarios paired with them, but pulling these titless out at libraries, bookstores, Amazon, or Goodreads might seem overwhelming. At first. 

To ensure you find a good title for your story’s comps, turn to one of the four story providers above, and then use these five must-knows to make sure they’ll work. 

Note: While I linked to Amazon above, because Amazon is easiest for research, I deeply encourage you to consider buying local, if it’s in your means. I don’t always buy local, but if I can I do because bookstores and booksellers are awesome, and seriously worth talking to about stories.

I also thought you might enjoy this resource, which I’m passing along from Oprah’s magazine (I first saw it on Jodi Picoult’s social media), as it can help you locate and support black-owned bookstores: FIND THAT RESOURCE HERE. 

Recently Published

Agents and editors need comps that have been recently published, or published within the last three (maybe five) years. 

Why? 

Because they need to know that your book will sell in today’s market, and if there’s a good comp that has done this, they will probably have more success when using it in their pitch to an editor or publisher. 

However, there is an exception here. If you have two comps and one is older, or a TV show or movie, and the other is more recently published, it will work. 

Just make sure at least one of the comps you pitch has been published in that last one to five year mark. 

Published by the Big Five

This one is important, and what tripped me up most in my earlier months as an editorial intern. 

The Big Five are considered the largest five publishers in the publishing industry, and the agent I worked most closely with emphasized the importance of pitching comps published by the Big Five when pitching a debut author’s book. 

To check if your comp is from a Big Five publisher—and not a small publisher or indie publisher (or self published)—Jane Friedman created this phenomenal infographic. 

Another good place to cross your t’s is from almossawi.com. It’s amazing. Bookmark this page in your browser. Or print it out and pin it to your wall: Big Five Infographic. 

Performed Well in Sales

A good comp isn’t good unless it’s performed well in sales. Remember, comps are used to prove to an editor or publisher (or agent) that your book has what it takes to attract and please readers. Sales are evidence of this.

Of course, you’re probably not going to find a spreadsheet of a title’s finances online.

But you can discover if a book has done well by turning to best-seller lists, awards, options, and news about the book’s performance. 

Not Ubiquitous 

Another important must-know that you might not think about! 

This is also the number one reason why nobody should use a book like Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (or any Harry Potters) as a comp. 

Just don’t do it. 

Of course everyone wants to be as successful as J.K. Rowling’s series, but Harry Potter has really become something more than a book. It’s a brand. 

And when books are ubiquitous, they don’t work well to pitch as a comp because there’s really no guarantee that any new title will reach that level of success.

Although we can hope! 

(Some other example not to use, although great masterworks for you to read and analyze: Eat, Pray, Love, Gone Girl, The Lord of the Rings, The Chronicles of Narnia—I’m sure there are others, but these for sure, in addition to the fact that they’re not recently published (see must-know number one).)

Clear Aspect on Back Cover That is Similar to Your Story 

Last on the list is the number one detail you should include in your query letter when pitching to an agent. 

What do I mean by a clear aspect on the back cover that is similar to your book? This is the similarity that makes your book the same but different to your comp. 

I mentioned a few of these examples with the books aforementioned: Startup, Love, Hate, and Other FIlters, and #Girlboss. 

Where (and How) to Use Your Comparable Titles

Once you do find a good comparable title for your story, it’s important to understand where and how to use them. 

If your heart is set on the traditional publishing route, the perfect place to pitch one or two of your comps is in the first paragraph of your query letter. 

Here, look for what the literary agent your querying is interested in representing (research their manuscript wish list or interviews), and then identify the aspect (must-know number five) that they mention.  

Not only will your comps work as a fantastic way to personally connect with the agent you hope will represent you and your work, but it shows you understand the market, your story, and how to research. 

All major pluses in future clients! 

If you’re not hoping to traditionally publish, comparable titles are still great ways to find your ideal readers and write your back cover. 

We all have select tastes when it comes to stories, and knowing how to find comps will help you find your groups. 

Why Good Comps Will Help You Read With a Purpose

As a fellow word nerd, you know that DIY MFA is all about reading with a purpose. And for good reason! 

If you can’t read with a purpose, you won’t become a better writer. Writers have to read in order to strengthen their craft, voice, understanding of story structure, and style. 

Writers also need to understand why a story works—or as I like to define this, advances the plot and develops characters with meaning. In addition to providing exceptional, unique settings, prose, and messages.

When you find a comparable title that works for your book, you should read it. Then, using your writing craft knowledge, start to decipher what makes your story the same but different. 

Hopefully you’ll pick up a few tricks to make your writing better along the way—without repeating the exact same ideas of other authors, of course. 

If you want to become a better writer, learn how to read like one. 

Do this by finding comparable titles that work. 

Thank You to DIY MFA, and a Bittersweet Farewell (for Now!)

For the past three and a half years I’ve had the great privilege to write as a columnist for DIY MFA. 

I first met and was inspired by Gabriela Pereira in 2015 at a Writer’s Digest Conference in New York City, connecting after a seminar she gave on characters. 

Enlightened, I started to follow her career, and later came across an opportunity to pitch a column for the reading portion of DIY MFA’s pillars, which became my Let’s Talk Books series.

Because of DIY MFA, I have grown as a writer, reader, educator, and advocator for stories in immeasurable ways. 

I have cherished my time with you fellow word nerds and the DIY MFA team, and am sad to write this farewell post (for now!), but am excited to focus on my burgeoning editing and storytelling career and growing family. 

As an editor and writer myself, I cannot encourage you enough to support the DIY MFA team. They are fun. They are smart. And they are supportive. (Not to mention nerdy!) 

I hope that you have benefited from this final, farewell post—and hopefully all the posts I contributed over the years.

I wish you well, and happy, purposeful reading. 

Abigail K. Perry is a Certified Story Grid Editor with professional teaching, literary agency, and film production experience. In addition to writing masterwork guides that help people learn how to write, read, and edit like a writer, she works as a freelance developmental editor/book coach and diagnostic editor. Abigail also teaches Genre-Focused writing workshops for the genres she specializes in, which include Women’s Fiction, YA Fantasy, Upmarket Fiction, Historical Fiction, and Scripts. Visit Abigail’s website if you’re a writer looking for an editor who will help you grow as storyteller, and who has experience in differentiated instruction, traditional publishing, and film.

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Now that the series is complete, we’ve compiled all the posts right here. If you’re thinking about your book cover, Melinda’s series is an excellent resource and a great place to start.

1. In her Part One, Melinda broke down four reasons every writer needs to go the extra mile to get the perfect cover.
2. In Part Two, Melinda listed four steps to help you take off your writing hat and put on your marketing hat.
3. In Part Three, Melinda went through the specific expectations of readers of High Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Paranormal Fantasy and Romance.
4. In Part Four, Melinda went through the specific expectations of readers of Science Fiction, Mystery and Horror.
5. In Part Five, Melinda tackled Literary and Women’s Fiction, New Adult, Young Adult, Children’s Lit and Non-Fiction.
6. And in Part Six she wrapped it all up with a specific example from her own book cover.

In addition to serving as DIY MFA’s official shutterbug, Melinda also uses her artistic skills to design book covers — check out her website at bookcovercorner.com and her blog at melindavan.com. And for more articles about the publishing industry, check the Build Your Community section of DIY MFA. Part of the writing community is the publishing industry, and we’re committed to navigating it together!

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First of all:

1) Do Your Homework

There are numerous outlets for self-publishing a book.  I used Createspace, the self publishing arm of Amazon.  Createspace came strongly recommended through several friends who had also used it for their books.  More important, their royalties were one of the highest I found during my research.  I found the staff to be helpful and they were always able to answer my questions promptly, despite my daily stressed out phone calls.  I was afraid they might put me on some kind of notification in their system to avoid my calls, kind of like airports have to keep potential terrorists from flying, but fortunately, that didn’t happen.

Once I’d decided on Createspace, it was time to figure out what I would need to use their services for, what I could do on my own, and which friends would provide a service at a lower rate than Createspace, or better yet, help me out of the kindness of their heart in exchange for nothing more than a meal or two.

I don’t know about you, but I like to think of myself as a writer.  I am not a computer programmer, graphic designer, or editor.  If you take one piece of advice out of this post it would be:

2) Hire a Professional Editor!

Whether you use Createspace to edit your book, or hire someone to do it, do not think you can do it yourself. It makes no difference if you flunked out of English Composition or you received straight A’s. You have probably revised your book no fewer than 5,473 times.  You could probably recite most passages from memory. Believe it or not, someone with a fresh eye will still found typos. If it’s just not in your budget, enlist the help of a detail-oriented friend.  Make sure they are ruthless!  You don’t want someone who will not be thorough because he is afraid of hurting your feelings.  There is nothing worse than a book with typos! It screams “amateur.”

I hired a former writing teacher of mine.  Not only did she line edit and correct my shocking amount of typos, she also made suggestions, most of which I ended up including. I think she helped me make my book that much stronger. She also charged me less than Createspace would have charged, and I’m sure she gave me a far more thoughtful critique.

3) Take Care With Your Cover

Unless you are an amazing artist or visual creative type, you will want to seriously consider using a professional comapny to design

your cover for you, or find someone who can help you.  There’s more to it than finding a pretty picture that you think works for your book, and sending it in.  There are specific size requirements and unless you are a graphic designer, you will have no idea what those requirements mean.

Fortunately, one of my closest friends is a graphic designer.  I was thrilled with the cover she designed for my book.  She understood the requirements involved and sent it off to Createspace so I didn’t have to deal with it.  I’ve wanted to pay her but she won’t let me.  I will be trying to treat her to lunch for the rest of my life.

If you can enlist the help of a friend, I would definitely recommend doing that.  If not, most self publishing companies will design a cover for you that will range anywhere from $399.00 to $1199.00, depending on your needs.  You can also design your own.

4) Don’t Neglect Your Marketing Copy and Author Bio

The marketing copy is the description of your book on the back cover or, in the case of ebooks, the description on Amazon and other websites.  The marketing copy, along with the cover, are what will make people want to buy your book!

Since I find it tough trying to convey what my book is about without giving away all the secrets, I paid Createspace to do that for me.  I was relatively happy with the description they came up with, but did end up making a few changes.

5) Never Underestimate The Complications of a Kindle Conversion

I figured that once I sent in my manuscript, the powers that be at Createspace would magically turn it into an eBook.  I was wrong.

It’s a bit like the cover.  There are all kinds of technical issues to deal with.  I chose to have Createspace do this for me although you do have the option of doing it yourself.  Since I require Tech support to practically open my email, paying Createspace $79.00 to do it for me seemed a small price to pay to retain my sanity.

6) The Devil May Lurk in the Details

Createspace took care of all the little things that never occurred to me, like an ISBN number and a Library of Congress number.

The ISBN number is imprinted on your books detail page in the front. This number identifies your book title and allows for more efficient marketing of your book to booksellers and libraries.  There is no charge for this.

The Library of Congress number enables libraries to purchase your book title and enter it into their card catalogue system.  It also looks really cool and professional on your books detail page.  The cost was $49.00.

All told, self-publishing my book cost approximately $1,700.00.

Having a real live book to hold after all the hard work I went through writing it…priceless!

Debra Rosenberg is the author of the recently released novel, Flirting with Monogamy and the blog, Women of a Certain Age.  Keeping it Flirty and Fabulous at Forty, Fifty and Beyond. When she’s not writing, she’s works as an Extra in film and television.  She spent twenty years in the fashion industry where she gleaned enough knowledge to make sure the characters in her novel are always well dressed. Debra lives in New York City with her husband, son and neurotic Labradoodle, Lola.

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